Assassin's Creed: The End of an Era
by DonnieF
Summary: Dominic was just an average teenager, but when the Templars killed his mother, he was taken in by the Assassins. Seeking revenge, he tracks down the one who murdered his mother and discovers a plot that would change the history of the United States forever. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

_February__ 18__th__, 2012_

_7:00 __P__.__M__._

_The __Woodlands__, __Texas_

"I'm so gonna kick your ass!" Josh yelled and smirked proudly as he fired his rocket launcher at Dominic.

Dominic frantically jumped to the side, letting the rocket fly by harmlessly, "You wish!" His fingers instinctively moved over the buttons of his controller as his character pulled out a small grenade and chunked it at the feet of his enemy, smiling happily as he shot the grenade in mid air, causing it to explode and throw millions of shrapnel in every direction.

"What was that?!" Josh yelled angrily, he stood up and chunked his controller at the TV, "How'd you-?

Dominic laughed softly, "Not gonna tell," he replied and smiled, "A little trick I had picked up."

Josh rolled his eyes and turned back to the TV, respawning back into the game. Dom laughed again as he fired another rocket at him, killing Josh yet again.

He coughed loudly, "Spawn killer."

"Problem?" Dom laughed loudly, and smirked as Josh ignored him, sniping him in the game before he could finish laughing. He just stared at the screen, shocked.

"Don't give me that look, I'm not that bad," He said jokingly.

Dom smirked and nodded, "Not terrible. But bad."

"Oh shush," He deadpanned, jumping off the building he had sniped Dom from a minute ago.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the front door. They both groaned and Dom paused the game and went to open the door, opening it to see Josh's father standing there, tapping his foot impatiently, "I'm here to pick up Joshua," he said monotonously, a slight angry glare consuming his entire face.

Dominic nodded and moved out of his way to let him in, a confused look filling his face. He frowned as he closed the door and walked back into his living room.

"Got your things packed?" Josh's father asked, plopping onto Dom's couch lazily.

"Uh, yeah. Lemme just go get my backpack," Josh replied and threw Dom his controller, getting up off the ground and walked to one of the guest rooms, coming back with a large black backpack.

His father then turned to Dominic, boredly adding, "I know I said I wouldn't be coming until tomorrow, but I needed to get him home today. I'm heading down to Houston tomorrow for training, and wouldn't be able to pick him up."

"I understand, sir," Dom replied kindly, grabbing his can of Dr. Pepper and taking a sip from it.

"I'll go put my bag in the car," Josh added and walked out the front door, leaving Dominic alone with his father.

The older man didn't say a word as Dom continued to sip on his drink. He seemed to be lost in thought most of the time so Dom decided not to say anything, returning to his seat in front of the TV.

"Tell your mom thanks for having my son over today," he said suddenly and Dom turned to look at the older man, nodding.

He stood up and walked out of Dom's house quickly, leaving him staring at his front door, "What the hell was his problem?"

* * *

_February__ 18__th__, 2012_

_8:00 __P__.__M__._

_The __Woodlands__, __Texas_

"Did you have fun hanging out with Josh?" Paige asked as her and Dominic walked down their street.

"Kicked his butt on Battlefield if that's what you're asking," He laughed softly as they walked.

She laughed and smiled, "No, it wasn't."

"I had fun," he replied, thinking back to the arrogant look on his friend's father's face.

"Good," she replied, laughing, "Because now it's time you finally hang out with your girlfriend."

He smiled, "Yes ma'am," she smiled and held his hand, "But Josh is still coming over to hang out next week," she frowned at that, which made him laugh.

A few seconds later Dom's phone rang, frowning, pulled it out and answered, "Yeah?"

"You need to get home, Dominic," His mother's voice replied.

He sighed angrily and replied, "Alright. I'll be home in a minute," he pressed the 'end call' button quickly before looking back at his girlfriend. The sun was setting by the time he escorted Paige back to her home. After saying their goodbyes, he quickly jogged back home, opening the door and struggled to walk to the kitchen through the darkness.

"Mom?" there was no replied, "Mom?"

After a few minutes of stumbling around in the dark, he found the switch and flicked it up, bathing the living room and kitchen with a soft white light. It was completely empty.

He sighed and set his phone down on the kitchen counter, "What the hell mom? Tell me to go home and you're not even here."

He decided to go check the garage and see if her car was there, and oddly enough, it was. He closed the door and headed upstairs, opening the door to his mother's room. The lights were turned off here as well, but he flicked them on anyway. What he saw caused his entire face to drain of color.

There was his mother, laying on the floor, a knife in her stomach, and blood covering the soft, white carpet. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't moving, she looked dead. Frantically he scrambled over to her and held her in his arms, "Mom?!"

For a moment, she remained still. Then she coughed slightly and opened her eyes, a look of pure fear as she recognized Dominic's face, "You.. you need to get out of here," she coughed up blood as she spoke, her eyes focusing on her one and only child.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice cracking as he tried not to touch the blade that was in her stomach, knowing that pulling it out would only make things worse.

"They want you. You need to leave, they're coming back..." her voice trailed off for a second before she refocused on my face again, "Here," she clutched her phone in her hand and placed it into mine, "I've saved a set of directions on it," she coughed, "Follow them, someone will hopefully be waiting for you there."

"But..."

"Go, Dominic.." she interrupted him, pushing him away from her.

He moved right back to her side, "What about you?"

"I'm fine," she replied, flinching slightly as a pain shot up her side.

"Bullshit. You're bleeding your guts out."

She glared at him, "I'm not going to argue with you, now go!"

"Just let me take you to the hospital!"

"I'll be dead by the time we get there," she replied, her face nearly drained of color.

With tears in his eyes, he sorrowfully agreed. He could tell she only had minutes left as she tried to focus once more on my now blood-red, tear streaming face. He grumbled as he stood up, "Okay," he replied, taking her hand in his for a second before leaving the room as quickly as he could.

Throughout his walk through his house, he just couldn't stop thinking about that knife in her stomach. Angrily he slammed the front door behind him. _It __has __to __be __possible __that __I __could __save __her_. _I __could __take __her __with __me__... _he shook his head, she'd die before he could get her to a doctor... He opened the door to his car and started it, taking a moment to stare at his once lovely home, the garage, the patio, the sleek glass windows...

Dom turned the key and ignited the engine, backing up quickly and driving away from the house, catching a glimpse of a man walking casually away from his home as he drove by...

Dominic followed the directions that his mother had saved into her phone for around twenty minutes before he turned onto a bridge across a small lake and over into the commercial district, where the Mall and some other expensive shops had been built over time. He turned again and looked up at the massive tower that dwarfed the Mall just behind him. The sleek glass panels etched their way to the very top, a big strip of the building bulging out from the main infrastructure. He raised an eyebrow as he parked his car in front of the lobby, this was where his mother worked...

Slightly confused, he got out of his car and walked through the entrance, examining the dark reception room. After a few minutes of blankly staring through the dark corridors, his phone beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked, there was a text from an unknown number.

_5__th __floor__. __Room__ 357. __Move __quickly__._

A confused look on his face, he pocketed his phone and headed to the elevator, calling it. A few minutes later, the door opened and he walked in, pushing the button for the 5th floor.

He tapped his foot impatiently until the doors opened again, revealing a pitch-black hallway, and what seemed like hundreds of door handles shining from the moonlight trickling in from windows. Blindly he walked around, using his cell phone as a flashlight to check the room numbers. After what felt like hours, he still couldn't find the room. Kicking the wall in frustration, he started to walk back when his cell phone's light flashed over a door he hadn't seen before. He examined it closely, etched into the metal plate was 357 MEETING ROOM.

Dom then pulled the cold handle, and creaked the door open, peering in, a sliver of moonlight flowing into the room, his silhouette blocking out most of the light. There was nothing that he could see, just a dark shape of a conference table.

"Were you followed?" A voice asked from the darkness, startling him.

Squinting, he examined the shadows carefully, trying to find the person that had spoke, "No, not that I know of."

"Good," the man replied and stepped calmly into the sliver of light flickering in from the doorway. He was dressed in a large black hoodie, the hood covering his face and ended in a short tip between his eyes, repeating a style Dominic had once seen in a game. The hoodie bulged slightly, showing a slight outline of body armor. The man's hazel eyes examined Dominic carefully, as if trying to verify his identity. He tried not to flinch under the gaze of the strange man, "You're Dominic, yes?"

"Yeah," He replied nervously, and frowned as he studied the man's face.

"My name is Alex Piras, and no, I'm not going to kill you, and I'm definitely not a gangster."

"Then why am I here?" He asked hesitantly, crossing his arms.

"You're here because your mother thinks that it's too dangerous for you in this city now," he replied and walked to the light switch next to the door, turning on the fluorescent lights. Dom closed his eyes tightly as his eyes tried to adjust to the sudden light change, a second later he opened them again and examined the now-lit room. The big conference table sat in the middle of the room, black top with wooden-colored legs, with several black plush chairs placed at specific intervals around the table. The strange man sat down in what appeared to be the boss's seat, "You're a wanted man right now, Dominic. I'm here to protect you."

"Wanted?" He asked, sitting down across from the man.

"It's hard to explain really, I'll tell you about it later. What you need to know right now is that at any moment a bullet could go through that forehead of yours."

That comment stopped him cold, "Who killed my mother?"

For a moment, a flicker of sadness seemed to flash over Alex's face, "The Templars."

Dom's mouth dropped, "Templars? You're kidding right?"

"The Templars really do exist, Dominic," he replied, the emotion that once covered his face now gone.

"I thought they were a myth, just part of some video game," Dom tried to keep himself from laughing, "I suppose the Assassins' are real too?"

"Actually, yeah," he responded, crossing his arms.

A puzzled look on his face, Dom asked, "Wait, then Assassin's Creed is true?"

"Eh, kind of. The story you know is over-dramatized and Desmond Miles doesn't exist. The only truth that was placed in those games were the lives of Ezio Auditore and Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. And the pieces of Eden."

"So the Apple...?"

"Really does exist."

Dominic's head started to spin as all this information was thrown at him, "And how do I fit into all of this?"

"You have Assassin blood within you, and therefore, have been a target for sixteen years," he replied, "There's even a rumor that you're actually a descendant of Ezio Auditore himself, though I've always felt that your mother just likes to exaggerate."

"Whoa, wait," Dom added quickly, "Did you say 'my mother'? She's an Assassin too?"

"Yeah, she wasn't very high ranking in the Order, nor did she get involved in any combat, but she was pretty important figure amongst the Assassins here in East Texas," he replied, "I can answer more of your questions later though, right now we need to get you to safety, the Templars could be here any minute."

Dom stood up and smiled, "Lead the way, assassino."

Alex laughed and stood as well, heading for the door, "I see you've been studying your Italian."

He smiled and followed the older man out, turning off the light behind him and shutting the door, making sure no one would be able to tell that anyone had been in there. They quickly walked through the dark hallways and back to the elevator. Alex turned to Dom as he pressed the button, "If you see anyone out there, run."

The teenager nodded in response. If the Templars were really out there, he wasn't going to let them kill him like they did his mother. Once they walked out of the lobby door, Dom quickly walked toward his car, key already in hand. Closing the door, he placed the key in the ignition and turned it.

It didn't take long before the crack of a gunshot resonated in his ears, a hole the size of a small marble appeared on his window, the bullet sliced the air and exited through the opposite window. It was close enough to make Dominic scream.

All he saw in those next few seconds was a black blur running by his car, a shiny object in the blur's hand, _a __gun_, Dominic thought. Suddenly there was chaos, five men dressed in black military garb, one with a sniper rifle, the others, military-grade assault rifles, which looked like they could easily have been Famases, if the games Dom had played could be trusted.

One of the templars with a machine gun fell to the ground with a thud as Alex precisely landed a bullet between his eyes, moving quickly to the next target and fired at the sniper, blowing a large hole where the man's nose used to be. Only seconds had passed as each Templar met their demise to the Assassin. When they were all dead, he put away the powerful little pistol and turned to Dom's car, smirking at the look of amazement on his face.

Alex walked over to the blue mustang and got in on the passenger side, "Surprised?"

"Definitely..." Dom replied, letting his fingers tighten around the steering wheel, "Wh- Where are we going?"

"Here," he replied, pulling out his cell phone, "These directions will take us to the hideout," he held out the phone and Dominic took it hesitantly, pulling out of the parking lot and over the bridge and back onto the highway, his hands shook slightly as he drove, making it hard to steer. He was scared, no doubt about that, but he tried to pull himself together and followed the directions south.

* * *

_February__ 18__th__, 2012_

_11:30 __P__.__M__._

_Spring__, __Texas_

It didn't take long to find the address in the phone. After winding through several suburban streets, a two story brick house came into view at the end of of a street. It looked rather ordinary and blended in with the suburban homes of the middle class perfectly. The reddened bricks glowing underneath the lights placed at random intervals around the house.

It was also strangely quiet in the neighborhood, the sounds of the highway and the city fading away, leaving the car in total silence while they drove. It had seemed that most of the citizens who lived here had already gone to sleep, leaving the Assassin hideout the only home with lights still on.

"Here we are," Alex spoke up, indicating that Dom should park in the driveway with his finger. Dom slowly pulled up into the driveway next to a white minivan, turning off the car.

Alex hopped out and shut the door behind him, Dom following the assassin to the brick house's front door. As soon as Dom walked through the door, the irresistible smell of bacon washed over him, causing his mouth to water. His eyes widened, causing Alex to laugh.

"You must be hungry," the Assassin said through stifled laughter.

"Yeah," Dom replied, "I am," he laughed.

That was when two ladies walked around the corner to greet them, one looked older, mid-twenties, with brown hair, and the other, no older than fifteen or sixteen with blond hair.

"Alex, it's good to see you," the older women hugged him, turning to look at Dominic with interest, "And who is this?"

"His name is Dominic," he smiled, "We're protecting him from the Templars."

The blond-haired girl smiled, "Welcome to the Assassins, Dominic!" she held out her hand and smiled.

Dom took it in his own hand and shook, "Thanks."

"My name's Faith, just ask me if you need anything or have in questions!" she replied, barely able to contain her excitement, happy that she finally has another teenager to talk to.

"Faith here has been with us for about three years. She's one of the best young assassins we have."

"Stop over exaggerating!" She replied, punching Alex in the shoulder playfully, "I'm not that good."

He laughed and rubbed his arm a little, "So Dominic, let's get you something to eat and we'll find you a room to sleep in for the night."

"Sounds like a plan," Dom replied and smiled at Faith, glad to see someone his age was in the Assassins.

He followed Alex into the kitchen and a few minutes later found himself sitting at an intricately designed dining table, a big A chiseled into the middle of the wood. He smiled as he looked down at his plate, eggs, bacon, and pancakes, all perfectly cooked. He shoveled the food into his mouth, his hunger taking over.

Alex couldn't help but laugh when he looked over at Dominic, "He likes your cooking, Faith."

She laughed happily and replied, "That's why I am the one who cooks and not you! Last time you made eggs you burnt them," she continued to laugh and Alex smiled, remembering the little incident perfectly.

"Yeah well, I obviously wasn't meant to be a cook," he smirked and crossed his arms, finally letting his hood fall back and ran a hand through his jet-black hair. After Dom had finished the meal, he added, "C'mon Dom, let's go find you a room."

Wiping his lips with his hand, he nodded and took the empty plate back into the kitchen, cleaning it off and putting it in the dishwasher. He returned and followed Alex down a hallway, several rooms, each with a name marked on it on a sheet of paper, and a stairway leading up to the second floor. They walked up the stairs and went down a similar hallway, stopping at a unmarked room.

"If you need anything, just ask Faith. I'll see you in the morning," Alex said and shook Dom's hand, walking back down to the living room.

Sighing tiredly, Dom opened the door and smiled at the very comfortable-looking bed in the corner, with enough room to fit three people in it. After setting what stuff he had on him down on a desk, he pulled off his shirt and laid down in the covers, relaxing immediately before falling asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Notes: It's been a while since I released the first chapter and I felt that I should release this xD At this point the major plot of this story is starting to be hinted at, those of you that are able to be able to figure it out, you're awesome! Anyway, this chapter is fairly short (in which case, I apologize for that) but I'm sure you'll enjoy it nevertheless! And to those who are new to the story, welcome! And those who had read the first chapter when I put it up, well, soon you're going to be in for a surprise, especially if you've thought this story was taking a direction towards a different path than you might have thought. So, enjoy the new chapter!**_

_They came in the dead of night, stalking around in the dark like wild panthers sneaking up on their prey. It was completely silent as I laid in my bed, staring up at my ceiling, unable to sleep. Just across from my room, Paige slept in what used to be my cousin's room. She had asked my mother if she could stay the night so she could get away from her parents, who argued constantly into the waning hours of the night. My mother told her yes, trusting us that we would be mature enough to not doing anything we'd regret. We both promised her that we wouldn't even see each other until morning. If only that had been the truth._

_There was a loud sound as a window downstairs was broken. Groggily I reach for my door handle, opening it to see Paige standing across from me, just as puzzled. We both stared at each other as we tried to figure out just what was happening. That was when something started to come up the stairs. Instinctively I stood in front of Paige, making sure that she would be okay if anything were to happen._

_A man appeared over the lip of the stairs, covered in black clothing and a ski mask, a little cross etched into his uniform, the logo of a Templar. Five other men dressed just like the first came into view as I backed up, holding Paige's hands in mine._

_The first man who came up raised his weapon and yelled in a heavy Arabic accent, "Come with us, or die!"_

_I shook my head and stood my ground, staring directly into his cold, brown eyes, angrily I replied, "Not a chance."_

_Suddenly I was yanked away from Paige by another man who had snuck up from behind us, restraining me tightly. I yelled and cursed but I just couldn't break free of his grip. Paige screamed and tried to reach out for me but the first man stepped in between us and pointed his assault rifle at her, stopping her dead cold._

"_Make one more goddamn noise," he growled coldly, "And I will blow your fucking brains out."_

_She shook under his gaze and nodded hesitantly, staring directly at the barrel of the weapon pointed at her forehead. I resisted once again, this time slipping out of the other man's grip, punching the one with the gun straight in the face, and tried to pull his gun away from him. While the Templar and me wrestled over the gun, the other man pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Paige, the movement made me freeze._

_And then, he fired._

"NO!" Dominic screamed as he instantly sat up in his bed, covered in sweat and clenching the covers in his hands like it was the only thing keeping him alive. For a moment, fear washed over him, he had no idea where he was, but then he calmed down when the memories of the night before came flooding back.

He sighed and laid his head back down, whispering angrily, "Brain, why are you torturing me.."

A second later, there was a knock on his door. Pulling his shirt back on, he went to answer it, seeing Faith standing there. She looked at the sweat dripping down my face and asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah," he replied hesitantly, "I'm fine. Bad dream."

"Oh," she frowned, "Well, breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes."

"I'll be there," he replied and watched her leave, turning back around and sat tiredly on his bed. He massaged his forehead as a headache suddenly flared up, pain making him groan a little. After a few minutes, he reached out for his phone, the time appearing, seemingly just to taunt him. _8:35 AM._ Sighing quietly, he stood up again and headed downstairs, running a hand through his curly hair.

"Good, you're awake," he heard Alex's voice as he strolled into the kitchen, "We need to talk."

Dom slowly sat down in a chair at the dining table, looking up at the older Assassin, "What about?"

"Well, for one, what we're going to do now," he replied, taking a bite out of a biscuit as he sat down across from Dominic.

The teenager frowned slightly before putting his back against the back of the chair again, "Well, as of right now, I want to find out who killed my mom."

"I understand," he replied, his face growing emotionless, "But I can't let you go investigate that until I know that you can defend yourself. I can't always be around to protect you."

"I can fight," Dom protested, staring at Alex pleadingly, hoping the older assassin would change his mind.

"You can fight a teenager, but fighting a Templar is different. They carry guns, and are trained in various kinds of martial arts, " he replied softly.

He frowned and sighed, "Fine."

"I can teach you how to fight properly, if you want," Alex added, a slight Italian accent surfacing in his voice.

"Yeah," Dom replied, watching as other assassins he hasn't seen yet come down the hallway and sit at the table, "Let's do it."

* * *

March 2nd, 2012

12:15 P.M.

Houston, Texas

It has been a couple of weeks into Dom's training. It was hard for him to adapt to this new lifestyle but after a week, he was getting into the combat training and had become friends with several of the older assassins who came and went from the assassin hideout in Spring. Faith often volunteered to spar with him as Alex taught him new moves and tricks.

Now, Dom positions himself in a defensive fighting stance and waits for Faith to make her move. She may have been a little younger and not as strong as him, but she was agile and easily was able to attack him with a vast combination of moves that often left him on the floor, with her knee against his back, and her fist pushing into the back of his neck, indicating that she would've killed him.

She lashes out at Dom, causing the older teenager to step back to avoid the fist. He reaches his leg out and trips her, pushing his fist into her neck, confirming his kill.

She grinned, "Good, very good," she picks herself back up and gets back into her fighting stance, "You talk to your girlfriend since the incident?"

Blocking a blow from her, he replied, "Yeah, I told her that I'm going to be out of town for a while and would be back to see her soon."

She lands a punch into his gut, "And?"

He grunts and replied coarsely, "She wasn't happy about it but I think she understood. After my mother's death was announced on the news, I'm sure she had found out about it and assumes I'm staying with relatives."

Smirking, she landed a punch on his face, "At least she knows you're alright."

The pain from the punch caused him to wince before replying, "Yeah.."

She suddenly kicked him in the chest, knocking him onto his butt, "Don't get distracted, Dom."

He smirked and twisted his legs around to trip her, satisfied when he heard an "Oof!" as she landed on her face, "Whose distracted now?"

"Hmmph," was her reply as he got back onto his feet and helped her up.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence, until the door opened and Alex stepped through, dressed in a fancy black business suit, "How's the practice coming?"

"He's catching on quickly," Faith replied, turning to look out the window and down at the streets below. Instead of training in the Woodlands, Alex decided to bring the two teenagers to Houston and use a sparring room in one of the Assassin-controlled high-rise offices in Downtown. The room had a spectacular view of the Houston skyline, the skyscrapers, the bustling of the streets below, it was something you just wanted to stare at for hours, thus it proved to be an annoying distraction as the teens sparred

The older assassin smiled and patted Dom on the back, "Soon we can send him on recon assignments."

"Recon?" Dom raised an eyebrow at his mentor, "What kind of recon?"

"Oh, infiltrating Templar hideouts, stealing information, stuff like that," The man strolled to the window, staring out at the big city.

"What about finding out who killed my mom?" Dom didn't like where this was going, he had agreed to take these lessons so he could get revenge, not spy on the Assassins' enemies.

"We'll get to that eventually," he replied, turning his head to look at the younger boy, "But first you need to learn a lot of skills that'll help you in the future. Stealth is one of them."

"Stealth, combat, I'm guessing you want to make me a full Assassin," he replied, taking a second to look at Faith's reaction, giving him the answer to the question.

"Yes, I do," was all he said before he turned around and left, tapping Faith on the shoulder.

She straightened slightly, "Okay, let's do one more round. I want to see those moves perfected."

Dom nodded slightly and raised his fists, preparing to lash out when the opportunity arose. Taking a deep breath, he attacked.

* * *

June 6th, 2012

8:37 P.M.

Houston, Texas

Dominic winced slightly as he let out a short breath, the sound reverberated outward, intensifying in the small closet he had hastily hid in. He whispered a prayer to himself as voices passed the door in front of him. He smiled when the voices began to fade away, replaced by the sound of his own breath, steadily listening as his breathing slowed back down.

It had been almost four months since Dom was taken in by the Assassins, and finally, after training nearly twenty/four seven, he's finally looking for clues about the man who murdered his mother. Alex fed him information from the local Assassin-affiliated groups in the massive city. One of the information that had been passed on to him was that someone who was involved with the murder was training here in Houston, as to what he was training for, no one knew yet.

Slowly he twisted the door's handle and peered out, carefully looking to see if the men who had passed by were out of sight. The darkened hallway was completely empty.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door fully and got out, hand on the pistol in his pocket, fear washing over him, causing him to breathe in short, staccato-like breaths. For a moment, he felt like he was suffocating, he couldn't get himself to breathe normally. He took a moment to lean against the wall and get himself under control, keeping a lookout for any guards. The halls were oddly quiet though, as if everyone had abandoned the little office, but the shadows of men and women inside each room suggested otherwise. For the moment, he was safe. Safe amongst the purely white walls that seemed to swallow him whole.

After regaining control of his breathing, he pushed himself off the wall and continued to move down the hallway. Once he reached a dead end, he noticed a door had been left slightly ajar. Peering inside, Dom felt the weight of the blade strapped to his wrist, flinching his fingers, ready to flick out the sharp blade if someone decided to come out of their office.

Luckily the room looked empty and Dom slipped in. Several big monitors were bolted to the far wall, showing simulated flights and even some camera feed from various training rooms. Just below the monitors, several desks with expensive looking computers and equipment were organized into stations, each with a complicated flight control system of some kind. "United Airlines definitely took their training seriously," Dom mused.

A video on the farthest monitor caught his attention and he strolled over to it, shutting the door back to its original position. The video had a time stamp below it, marked JUNE 5TH, 2012, 2230 HOURS. A little play button flashed over the video itself and Dominic reached out and touched it, stepping back as the video begun to playback.

"_You are showing remarkable progress, Charles. Two months of training and you've gotten past the basics of what you need to know," an aged man with grey hair smiled and shook the hand of a younger looking man whose face was hidden from the camera's view._

_The younger man, Charles, nodded appreciatively and replied, "How long until I get into the air?"_

_I know that voice..._ Dominic thought as he concentrated on Charles, crossing his arms.

"_Soon, we need to run some more simulations before putting you in the cockpit," the older man replied, turning to face the flight simulator setup that sat against a barren white wall, a window a few meters away, showing the dirty streets of the Industrial District of Houston._

"_I've run dozens of tests, can't I at least try?" Charles protested, anger rising in his voice._

"_We need to make sure you won't crash before you reach the target, and to do that, we need to run more tests."_

_Charles threw up his hands in anger, "Fine, you win Director," he looked down at the floor absently._

"_It won't be long now. Run a couple more tests and we'll talk. Goodnight Charles," the old man left, leaving the younger man with the simulator loudly humming in it's corner._

_He turned around and glanced at the camera, his facial features coming into view. His brown eyes were nearly devoid of emotion, and his face was covered with a small beard. A moment later he looked away, and walked out of the room._

Dominic was speechless.

It was...

"Oh my God..."

An hour later, Dominic angrily yanked open the door to the office where he had been training at, walking by several startled Assassin agents before he sat down heavily into his seat at his desk with an expensive computer sitting on top of it.

"What'd you find out?" Alex asked calmly but curiously as he came out of his own office.

The teenager's hands were shaking uncontrollably and he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing would come out. He didn't know how to explain it. After a few minutes of silence, he replied, "You're not going to believe this."

Alex grabbed a chair and sat across from Dominic, listening attentively, "Who was it?"

"It was... by God, it was Josh's father!" he bursted out, clenching his fists, "That bastard murdered my mom!"

Slowly Alex sat back in his chair, his eyes suddenly glossing over as he thought over the news. After a moment, he looked back at Dominic, "He will pay for this, I promise you."

"I know. Because I'm going to kill him."

At that, Dom finally noticed that Faith was standing in the doorway, her stance indicated that she had heard every word that was said. After a brief moment of eye contact between the two teenagers, she added softly, "Dom, Assassins aren't in the business of revenge. But, in this case, I agree with you. We have no idea why he's learning to fly but he needs to die before he can succeed with his plans."

Dom silently nodded and turned back to look at Alex, "He's training somewhere in the industrial district here in Houston. But there's one more thing I want to do first."

He tilted his head slightly, "What?"

"I'm going to go up to Huntsville and, and get Josh to join us."


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: Once again, it's been a while since I've updated this story :( School's kicking my butt right now :/ But the good news is that now Chapter 3 is here! And I can finally get started with the actual plot next chapter :D Enjoy!**

June 7th, 2012

8:30 P.M.

Huntsville, Texas

Joshua Turner quietly strummed a couple of chords on his guitar, wincing as an untuned string reverberated an ugly sound. He had only recently started playing the guitar, but he felt like he was making excellent progress and loved playing little chords in his spare time. It made him feel like he's actually learning something meaningful rather than the ordinary education in mathematics and other unpleasant subjects.

It had been very quiet for the past couple of months with his friend, Dominic, falling off the face of the planet. It took awhile to get used to, and could only imagine what Dominic's girlfriend was going through, but even she has been very quiet recently.

There was a faint knocking sound and Josh got up and set his guitar down, heading towards the living room and the front door. He turned the lock on the door and pulled it open, noticing two people standing on his front patio, both wearing hoodies with the hood covering their faces.

"Um, hello?" he asked, curious about the two strangers.

"Josh, it's me, Dominic," the taller one replied, lowering his hood, the light illuminating his face, his light blue eyes more serious and different than Josh remembered.

"Where've you been?" He asked, raising an eyebrow, "For almost four months, no one has heard from you."

"I've been... out of town. Hey, um, can we come in? We need to talk," the older teenager turned to the other hooded figure, a girl judging from the slenderness of her body.

"Uh, sure. Come in," He moved to the side, letting Dom and the hooded girl walk in. After they were inside, the girl let the hood fall back down to her shoulders, revealing her long blonde hair. A moment later, she turned around and smiled.

"Hey Josh," she said, smiling at him.

"Faith?" Josh raised an eyebrow and laughed before hugging his old friend.

"It's good to see you too," she laughed and sat down on the couch, crossing her legs.

Sitting down in a chair, Josh added, "So what's this visit about?"

"Do you know where your father is?" Dom asked calmly.

"Uh, training in Houston," he replied.

Dominic sighed, "Do you know what he is training for?"

"No, he told us that it's a surprise," he answered, twiddling his fingers calmly, "What's this about? You came here just to ask about my dad?"

"Josh this might come as a bit of a surprise but, your father is a Templar."

Josh laughed, "I think you're getting too attached to that _Assassin's Creed_ game."

"I have proof. Four months ago, Templars invaded my home and murdered my mother. She was an important member of the Order in the Woodlands. I've been training with Faith ever since

"Yesterday I followed a lead about the murderer to a United Airlines training facility in Houston, I found footage of your father training there, as well as a meeting that took place just after they murdered my mother. If you want proof, that footage has it."

"You're serious," Josh raised an eyebrow, "This is my father you're talking about."

"I'm very serious," he replied, pulling out his phone, "I can show you the footage."

"Alright," Josh sighed, "Hook your phone into my PlayStation."

After a minute of messing with the phone's cord, Dom sat down and used the PlayStation's controller to navigate to the video saved onto his phone. He pressed a button to start the video.

"_I see you have returned from the Woodlands. Your mission go well?" an older man asked, sitting at a black desk, filing paperwork._

"_Rebecca has been eliminated, but her foolish son escaped. We have no idea where he went," the younger man replied, his voice deep and cold, like a killer and a soldier at the same time._

"_He will be found soon enough," the old man said just as coldly, "For now, get some rest, Charles. Your training begins tomorrow."_

_The younger man nodded and left, leaving the older man alone, who typed for several minutes before something that sounded like Skype rang. He clicked his mouse and answered, "Yes?"_

"_We've found the boy, he went into the Anadarko Tower here in the Woodlands," a voice replied on the computer._

"_Good, send your men in and kill him. He can't leave there alive."_

"_Understood," the voice replied before the call ended. _A moment later, the recording ended.

Josh was speechless.

"For four months, your father has been training to fly a plane, why, I have no idea. But right now I know, your father is indeed a Templar and murdered my mother," Dominic added softly.

"This...what...okay, what the hell?" At this point, Josh was beyond confused. His best friend accuses his father of murder and then shows a video that proves it. But Josh didn't want to believe it. Didn't want to believe that his father could possibly be capable of this. Sure, his father is controlling and acts more like a drill sergeant than a father but, how could he possibly belong to a presumably fictional group that is bent on controlling the world? It just made absolutely no sense.

"Josh," Faith's voice pierced through his rampant thoughts, causing him to look at her concerned face, "I know this is a lot of information to digest but... we need your help. We need someone who knows him. We need to stop whatever he is planning, before it's too late."

"I... understand. I'll help you but... please don't kill him, he's my father and I don't want to see him die," he replied, his voice hoarse as he tried to hold back tears. _How dare his father do this to one of his best friends. How dare he..._

Dominic stood up and patted Josh on the back, "Let's get going. We've got a lot of work to do."

"What about my mom?"

He stopped to think for a moment, "She won't let you go willingly. We just can't tell her."

Josh sighed and nodded before standing up and following Dominic and Faith out.

* * *

December 18th, 2012

4:15 P.M.

Houston, Texas

Dominic blocked a punch from Joshua while kicking out with his leg to counter Faith's attack. She easily countered and blocked his foot with her hand before attempting to strike at him again. After working with her for ten months, Dominic knew every move she could possibly make as well as which hand she preferred to strike with more. He softly pushed his fist against where her heart was, and she backed away, 'killed' in the current training session. Now it was just him and Josh.

The younger teenager attempted to slice at Dominic's throat, but with a swift movement, was deflected by the older boy's bracer that housed the hidden blade used in real combat. Dom pushed against Josh's arm, forcing him off balance. Before the younger boy could react, he was thrown onto the floor and the metal bracer Dominic wore was pushed against his neck, the older boy smiling before reaching out a hand to help him up.

Panting heavily, the younger teenager took Dom's hand and grunted as he was pulled back onto his feet, "That felt brutal."

Dominic laughed and patted Josh on his back, "Couldn't go easy on ya."

"Just like old times," he replied, taking a big gulp of water from his water bottle before taking a seat next to Faith.

Dominic took a deep breath before pulling a seat to him and sat in it backwards, resting his arms on the back of the chair, "Now that's over with, time to discuss business."

Rubbing his back, Josh added, "Any news about my father?"

"Nothing much. We have an estimated date for when his plans might start, but nothing solid," he replied, shifting in the seat to get comfortable.

"When?" Faith asked, unsheathing her hidden blade and sharpening it with a knife quietly.

"February 2013. It's the best estimate we've got," he frowned slightly, "The older assassins have been watching the airports and the airplane companies themselves to see if anything shows up there. So far, nothing."

"Not a lot of leads," she replied, resheathing her blade.

"Sadly. But enough of that. Alex said to meet him at a restaurant downtown when we're done here."

Josh's face brightened, "Yes! I'm starving," he laughed before pushing himself out of his chair.

Dominic smirked and stood up as well, "Then let's go."

* * *

Charles Turner smiled as he finished his last flight simulation for the night, his eyes beginning to close slightly as the fatigue finally started to kick in. He was close to completing his training, so close that he could taste it in the air.

The past year has been more than a success, with the death of his Assassin rival and the quick training he has received so far. There was only one loose end that needed to be taken care of, the boy who escaped him so many months ago.

No one under his command has found any trace of him since their attack in The Woodlands, but surely the boy was still around, more than likely seeking revenge. He was going to die, Charles was sure about that. The boy had no training in any combat skills and would make a quick and easy target to kill.

He turned when he heard the door to his training room open, a man man walking in, wearing a black suit with a sub-machine gun slung over his shoulder, "Sir?"

"Yes?" Charles replied, shutting down the simulator and stood up, turning to the agent.

"The other training center reports that someone infiltrated the building and stole several video records, both of them had you in them," the agent said as he pulled out a manila folder and handed it to Charles.

Peering through the folder quickly, Charles turned back towards the computer and turned it on again, quickly navigating to the files that had been copied. They were of him training... and the meeting with the Director after the attack in The Woodlands...

"My my, Dominic, you're certainly smarter than you look," he scowled before turning back to the Templar agent, "Search the city, bring him to me."

"Right away, sir," the agent replied and hastily left the room, leaving the aging man alone.

Charles stared down at the manila folder before smiling and seething angrily, "No longer will you hide from me, Mr. Fuller."

* * *

Dominic choked slightly as he laughed, causing Josh to slap him hard against his back before joining in the laughter.

"That's terrible!" Faith yelped through stifled giggles.

"Anyway, after that, I was so embarrassed that I wouldn't even leave my room! Nathan had to drag me out just to get me to eat dinner!" Alex added while laughing hysterically.

"He wouldn't even let you eat in your room?" Josh asked, curious.

"Nope. Told me that I'll eat with the others or he would hang me on a coathanger! I protested but he really didn't leave me a choice," the older man replied, taking another bite of his steak, savoring the juicy meat.

They all laughed again before quieting down, realizing that they still were in the middle of an expensive restaurant. For a minute, everyone was silent as they continued to eat more of their dinners, enjoying the experience since they haven't really ate anything decent since before the training began.

It was a happy moment, one that Dominic hadn't felt for a long time. He enjoyed it. Even if his motive to be here was revenge, he still enjoyed it.

"Too bad I can't get you guys fully trained by February. I really hate to send you after Mr. Turner ill prepared," Alex spoke up, breaking the silence.

"We can take 'em," Josh replied, smiling before gobbling up another bite of his dinner.

"Certainly hope so," the older man replied quietly.

It wasn't long before the loud noise of glass shattering pierced their ears, each of them standing up quicker than lightning. Dominic froze as he saw black-suited men with assault rifles storm into the restaurant, killing the hostess who had protested their entrance.

They all simultaneously flicked out their hidden blades, preparing themselves for a fight. One of the men shouted in Italian to another and five of the soldiers stalked towards the assassins, the others securing the restaurant.

A man walked directly up to Dominic, his suit had a red cross sewn on the top right. A Templar. The man pulled off his ski mask and stared down at the four assassins.

"Well, look who we have here," he smiled evilly, "Just the man I was looking for."

Dominic held up his hand with the bracer on it, showing the Templar that he was armed and would kill him, "I see Mr. Turner has been searching for me."

"Yes, he has," the Templar replied, "Wasn't such a good idea, trying to infiltrate a Templar training center."

Dominic had had enough, he wasn't about to let the Templars capture him. He thrusted his arm towards the man's stomach, the blade he had left extended stabbing him mercilessly. Immediately the smell of blood filled the room, and Dominic pulled his blade out, wincing as he felt the warm, gooey blood cover his hand.

After that, chaos erupted.

All four assassins ducked underneath tables as the other Templars fired their rifles. Even all of Dominic's training couldn't prepare him for the experience of being shot at by machine guns. He, along with the other two teenagers, shrieked before finally composing themselves enough to ready their pistols.

Josh and Dominic haven't exactly trained much on how to use guns, which caused their shots to easily go haywire, striking the walls and chandeliers before they actually hit anyone. Alex and Faith skillfully killed several of the Templar agents before dashing forward, using fallen Templars as meat shields. Once they reached the living Templars, they flicked out their hidden blades and attacked, slashing viciously.

Dominic and Josh lowered their pistols, letting the two experienced assassins deal with the agents. Once all the Templars had been cut apart, Dom carefully scouted the place out, making sure no civilian was harmed, but it seemed that they had all ran out once the fighting had begun.

"Clear," Josh called from the other side of the restaurant, "We should... do something with them."

"Agreed," Alex replied and started to pile the Templars, "I'll take care of them, get out of here."

Dominic nodded before his vision suddenly blurred and he collapsed onto the ground, pain shooting from his left leg and waist, causing him to groan loudly, a loud whistling noise filled his ears. He could hear voices in the distance, faint, but there. Suddenly he felt a hand push against his chest and he looked up to see Faith and Josh examining him frantically, their eyes trailing to his waist, now covered in blood, and his leg, which pain suddenly flared up from, as if taunting him.

"Pick him up, we gotta get him to a hospital!" He heard Faith say, his eyes trailing to Alex, who continued to remove the Templar bodies from the restaurant. He was losing a lot of blood, and he was growing cold, it terrified him. This was not how he wanted it to end. This is not how it was supposed to end...

He felt a sudden jolt as he was lifted up before a faint groan echoed in his ear, "Jeez, he's heavy."

"I... can still hear you, you know," Dominic replied before he felt his unharmed leg touch the floor, an arm wrapping around his shoulders.

"Get him to the car," Faith added, concern rising in her voice, somewhere in the darkness beyond his distorted vision.

"Obviously," Josh replied, causing Dominic to laugh, which in turn, made him wince as a flash of pain flared in response. Unable to take it anymore, he lost consciousness, his entire body going limp before he felt Josh pick him up fully and carry him to the car.


	4. Chapter 4

__**Author's Notes: Again, I'm very sorry about taking so long to get this chapter out :( I've been dealing with writer's block again and dealing with school work, so that puts a dent in getting these out in a timely fashion. We're getting close to the action now xD but this chapter is pretty much still establishing character and introducing a couple of new ones. Chapter 5 will be when I start writing out the main plotline. Enjoy this chapter and I promise I'll get up the next as soon as I can xD**

_I was falling, faster than I had ever thought possible. I could see the entire world below me, close enough for concern, but far enough away to be marvelously beautiful. A single blue orb amidst the darkness of space._

_I was falling, and now I realized, I had no idea how I got here. Had I been on a space shuttle? Had I been sucked out of an airlock? I simply couldn't remember._

_The blue orb was getting closer now, the blackness of space soon replaced with an orange glow, the very air pushing against me, surprised yet angry at my presence. I began to sweat as the atmosphere heated my body. Now I could make out cities, farms, even cars, as tiny as ants._

_Below me, a massive metropolis began to fill my vision. There was a small island, completely filled with tall skyscrapers, cars bustling to and fro through the web of streets. Beyond the island, the city continued to spread onto the mainland and other islands, each connected to the small island in the center with massive yet beautiful bridges, some vaguely recognizable, even at an eagle's view._

_It was New York City, in all its glory. Though as the perceptions changed and I could see each individual building, I noticed something odd. Towards the downtown district, two massive skyscrapers jutted out into the sky, towering over every other building on the island. I recognized them, but couldn't recall where from, and when. They weren't supposed to be there, that much I knew..._

_Suddenly, as if on queue, an airplane below me changed its course, diving down and smashing into one of the two identical towers. There was a brief flash of light as the jet fuel ignited and exploded. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see anymore, but reluctantly, I opened them again, watching the black smoke rise up towards me. I began to cry, realizing just what I had witnessed, but it wasn't very long before the Hudson River filled my vision and, taking one last breath, felt my body slam into the water like a speeding bullet. Everything went black just before the pain finally took over..._

* * *

December 20th, 2012

6:23 P.M.

Houston, Texas

Dominic quickly sat up, screaming half in terror and half in pain. He couldn't see anything through his blurred vision but he could feel the uncomfortable sheets of a hospital bed, and could only guess why. A hand reached out to him and he flinched, pulling his arm back quickly before turning to a man in a white lab coat.

"It's okay, Dominic, I'm not going to hurt you," the man said softly, pulling his arm back.

"Where am I?" He asked, his vision slowly returning to normal.

"You're in a hospital son, you took a couple of bullets to your waist and leg, your friends brought you in for treatment," he paused before leaning closer and whispered, "I know you're an Assassin, and so am I, so don't worry about payment, this one is on the house."

Dominic smiled softly, "Thanks. I didn't know an Assassin would be a doctor..."

"We walk all sorts of paths, Dominic, not every Assassin has to kill," he smiled before patting Dom's hand, "But enough of that, your friends want to see you," he stood up and walked out of the room, Josh and Faith entering a minute later.

They sat on opposite sides of Dominic's bed, Josh being the first to speak, "Feeling okay?"

"Yeah... somewhat, my leg kinda hurts," he replied, laying his back against his pillow.

"No doubt," Faith added, "Sadly the doctor says you need to stay off your feet for a while, a couple of weeks to a month probably.."

"I can't, that only leaves us about a month to train together before we launch our attack," Dom protested.

"Better to rest than break your leg and end up right back here," Josh added, frowning.

"True..."

"Just enjoy yourself some for a while, play Xbox, it won't be long," Faith said as she stood up, her face still filled with concern.

Dominic laughed at that, "Well, Assassin's Creed Three came out a couple of months ago, maybe I'll play that."

She chuckled before patting his shoulder, "You do that," they both left, leaving Dominic to contend with his thoughts.

How could he have been so clumsy? He had trained and trained and trained for nearly ten months, he knew better than to get shot. Yet it was out of his control, no matter how hard he tried to change it.

"Doctor?" He called out, laying his head back down on the uncomfortable pillow.

"Yes?" The doctor came in quickly, sitting in the chair Faith had sat in.

"When am I going to be released?"

"A couple of days, the wounds are already beginning their healing process so we won't have to keep you for medical observation," he replied.

"Alright," Dominic sighed slightly.

He laughed softly, "Get some rest, we'll talk in the morning."

"Okay," The teenager replied, "Good night doctor..."

"Smith," the doctor laughed before patting Dominic's shoulder, "Knew I forgot to mention something."

Dominic laughed and said his goodbyes again. The good doctor stood up and left, turning off the lights and closing the door behind him.

* * *

January 1st, 2013

2:30 A.M.

Houston, Texas

Dominic smiled as he sipped some of his soda, propping his leg up on the black coffee table in front of him. His leg ached where the bullet had pierced his skin and continued to make him limp when he walks, but he decided not to think about it. It's New Years, and he was going to have fun.

He turned when Josh came back inside the apartment they were staying in. Josh took a bite of his hamburger before plopping down on the couch opposite Dominic. He smirked before saying, "Well, looks like the world didn't end."

Dominic laughed, "Looks like humanity is gullible, letting a theory like that be believed."

"It seems to be a theme, always in movies and books," he replied, "Makes you wonder: 'Why are we so obsessed about predicting the end, instead of living our lives care-free?'"

Dominic laughed softly before adding, "Do you really wanna know?"

"No, not really, I'm sure the Templars have something to do with it," he replied, setting his plate down on the black coffee table between them, "Mass hysteria, you know."

Dominic laughed before lowering his head, breathing in softly before looking back at Josh, who added, "You okay?"

He frowned, "The more I think about it, the more I hate what I did."

"What do you mean?"

"That man I stabbed at the restaurant last month? That was the first person I've killed, ever. I didn't have any time to really think about it then but, it's not a good feeling, to kill someone. Even if they're your sworn enemy."

"At least you have principles," Josh replied.

"But is that really enough?" He asked, rubbing his leg as pain spiked suddenly.

"You told me once that this is a war, and in war, there will be casualties, and that if we don't kill them first, they'll kill us," was his reply, standing up, "You did the right thing, Dom. If you didn't resist, we'd all be dead."

Dominic chuckled dryly, "Such comforting words."

The younger teenager smirked before reaching out his hand to Dominic, "Let's get back to the party."

The older teenager grabbed the extended hand and stood up, "Starting to wish Paige was here."

Josh laughed before heading outside, "I don't even want to think about what you two would do to 'celebrate' the New Year."

Dom laughed and replied, "I'm sure you don't."

He took a step away from Dominic as they walked down the stairs of the apartment to the ground floor, "Oh God..."

Dom laughed hysterically, causing half the people outside to stare at them, "I was only kidding."

In a matter of seconds, Faith appeared in front of them with a plate of hot dogs and fries, nearly causing Dominic to run into her. She laughed, "Finally joining the party?"

"I thought I _was_ the party," Dominic laughed, quickly stealing one of her hot dogs.

She stared at him angrily for a second before laughing softly, "Overconfident much?"

"Ye-" Josh elbowed him, causing him to spit out the piece of food he was eating. He glared at Josh for a minute before turning back, "Anyway, how goes the training since I had become a cripple?"

"I'm finally undefeated," she replied, smirking at Josh, "He isn't fast enough to win against me."

"Hey!"

"Shush Josh," she grinned before sitting down at one of the outdoor tables set up outside. Josh frowned before laughing and sat down across from her, Dom struggling slightly as he sat in a chair between them.

"She's good," Josh added, admitting defeat.

"I'm not good," she replied, "I'm the best."

"Oh don't you get overconfident now," Dominic smirked, "I'll be reclaiming my spot soon."

She laughed before replying softly, "We shall see."

* * *

January 1st, 2013

7:00 A.M.

Houston, Texas

Dustin ducked quickly as a fist flew at him, nearly decking him in the face. Using all the force that he could muster, he punched the older man in the gut, making him double over in pain. The man lashed out and smacked Dustin in the face. The teenager fell backward in surprise, attempting to kick out at the man's leg. But to his dismay, the man blocked his attacks and pulled out a pistol, aiming it directly at the teenager.

"You're coming with me, Mr. Scott," The deep bass of the man's voice rumbled above him.

Dustin kicked out again desperately, "Never!"

"Dustin, stop it! Your father wants you home!"

"He's not my father," The teenager seethed angrily.

"He _is_ your father, by blood or not. Now come on!" He yanked Dustin to his feet.

For a moment, Dustin's entire world spun, nearly making him fall back on the ground. He reached out and grabbed onto his father's assistant's suit, taking a moment to let the dizziness fade.

"Alright," he replied, "Take me to Father then, Mr. Hayes."

* * *

Dustin was half-walked, half-dragged to his father's office, not even glancing at the various maids who were startled by their entrance. At last, Hayes let go of him in front of the door and gestured for him to enter. Calmly he pushed against the intricately designed double doors, frowning as his father came into view, sitting at his desk, emotionless, his greying hair cut short.

"Son, I told you to never leave the estate without an escort, yet you disobeyed me. Why?" His father asked calmly, tapping his fingers on his desk.

"I wanted some fresh air," he replied, not even letting the glare his father was giving him scare him.

"We have gardens," he added.

"Filled with your 'staff'," the teenager added through clenched teeth.

"Freedom. Is that what you want? To roam the city without _any_ supervision? To see what this city has to offer? Well son, Houston isn't exactly a nice place. There are gangs, thugs, and countless amounts of scum that would kidnap you or hurt you without a second thought. I wouldn't be a good father if you were to get hurt out there," His father finally stood up, walking over to him, "You want me to let you roam a place like this? Fine. But I will not be there to protect you if someone decides to attack you."

His words stung, and nearly made him cry, but he kept himself together and stared directly into his father's eyes, "I'm not twelve anymore. I'm sixteen. Shouldn't I _at least_ be able to roam the neighborhood? You've been training me in self-defense and training me to use guns since I was ten years old. I don't think I need a bodyguard looking over my shoulder 24/7."

Father frowned, shaking his head slightly, "You are nowhere near capable of defending yourself. Especially against trained assailants. What could you do if someone who was better than you attacked? Huh? Would you _really_ want to risk that?"

He couldn't take it anymore, he could _not _be shot down so easily. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and stormed out of the room, barely able to hear the angry yell of his father through his own erupting fury. He stormed down the hallway, disgusted by the expensive furniture and the red carpeting, the walls, a matching crimson color. He turned a corner and sat down heavily and laid his head against the wall, breathing in deeply. Far way, he could just barely hear Hayes talking.

"I'm sure once he's calm he'll be more cooperative, Director."

"He better be, otherwise he's never leaving this house again," was his father's reply.

"As it should be," Hayes replied, causing Dustin's face to twist with anger, "By the way, Mr. Charles Turner asked for you to contact him as soon as possible."

"Good, I will contact him immediately. Take the rest of the night off, John. I'll get Mr. Williams to take over for you."

"Thank you, sir," Hayes replied happily, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

For the moment, Dustin just sat there, too exhausted to move an inch. He had been out most of the night with his friends, celebrating New Years. Now, he was probably never going to see them again. His father will see to that personally. He let out a sigh before laying his head against his knees. He will leave this place someday, and never come back. And gladly, that time was fast approaching. He smiled evilly for a minute. Tonight, he will make his move.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes: I'll admit, this chapter is EXTREMLY short. I've been trying to get myself out of this writer's block for a while now and only recently some ideas on how to finish this final chapter before the real stuff happens. Terribly sorry for not getting this out sooner! School and writers' block really don't mix very well -_-**

January 1st, 2013

3:27 P.M.

Houston, Texas

"Mr. Charles, how goes the preparations?" The Director asked calmly as Charles Turner appeared on the screen.

"We're nearly ready to launch, Director. At this point, we're just waiting for the scientists to finish up their work," the younger man replied, sending a file through the Skype call. The Director glanced through the file, examining the reports within.

"Impressive work, Mr. Turner," he added, "In less than a year, you've masterminded the most devious plot in Templar history. You do this and we'll have full control of the government."

"It's only one step," Charles replied, "But it's a step in the right direction."

"Good," The Director smiled, "I've been waiting for this for nearly thirty years. I've grown impatient."

"I can only imagine, Director," Charles nodded, "But what of Dustin Scott? Isn't his real father still out there?"

"He is, but it won't matter much. The Assassins won't even know what hit them."

"I hope you're right sir," Charles replied softly, "Their little team of teens has been a pain in my ass recently."

"Ah, the group led by the son of the late Ms. Fuller," The older man smiled, turning back to his computer before glancing back at his associate, "They won't be a problem for long."

* * *

January 1st, 2013

4:00 P.M.

Houston, Texas

Alex stared down at his laptop blankly, examining the schedule Dominic put together for the coming weeks leading up to the launch of their attack against the Templars. _The kid, despite being badly injured only a month ago, was as persistent as his mother_, he thought as he folded the closed the keyboard to his computer and massaged his forehead as he felt a headache start.

He turned to look at his office door when he heard movement outside. The door opened and Faith stepped through, casually sitting down in a free chair in the office.

"You guys are done training already?" He asked, laughing before turning back to his laptop.

"Technically, Josh and Dominic went out to get some McDonald's," she laughed back, resting her feet on Alex's desk, "Told them to get you a Big Mac."

"That's-" he stopped talking as an alarm sounded, seconds later, his phone rang and he quickly answered it, nearly dropping it in the process.

"What's going on?" He asked quickly, jumping up out of his chair and pacing back and forth in front of his desk.

"It's the Templars, sir. They've breached the office," a female voice replied, her voice hoarse as she tried to catch her breath.

"Lock down the rest of the floors, they cannot get through," he slammed the phone down and looked at Faith, "Get James to prepare the helicopter, something tells me we're going to need a quick escape."

She nods slightly and quickly runs out of the room, leaving the older Assassin alone. He sighed and rummages through his desk until he found his pistol, grabbing several magazines and popping one into the gun. He storms out of his office and jams the button for the elevator, tapping his foot impatiently. A moment later, the door opened, and a man in a black suit aimed his pistol at him.

Alex ducked and barrelled into the man, knocking the intruder's pistol away. The Templar attempted to kick Alex in the face but failed when the Assassin dodged and backed away a little. Alex grabbed his own pistol but was surprised by a foot connecting into his chest, knocking the wind out of him and causing the gun to drop to the floor. In an instant, the Templar is back on his feet and punches Alex hard enough to make him double over in pain.

"Come quietly, Assassin," The man growled angrily, breathing heavily from the fight. Alex stared up at the man, not even saying a word, "Suit yourself," he added and bashed the Assassin in the face.

A mile away from the Office, Dominic and Josh stroll into the local McDonald's, going straight for the short line of customers in front of the cashier. The walk had allowed time for them to discuss plans for attacking the Templar base, but even the twenty minutes of walking didn't help them come up with a decent enough plan.

It wasn't long before they were next to order, and that was when Dominic's phone started to ring. He turned to Josh and indicated for him to order the food, then stepped out of line to answer the call, "Hello?"

"Dom, it's Faith, we've got a problem," a feminine voice replied, her breath rapid and the sound of screaming barely audible under her voice.

"What's going on?" He asked quickly, turning to look at Josh who in turn decided to cancel their order.

"Templars," she replied simply, "They've assaulted the office, I managed to escape with a few of the workers and currently on our way up to Jason's helicopter, but there's no telling if we'll get out of here alive," she took in a deep breath before continuing, "I can't find Alex, Dominic. He may be captured, or worse."

"We can worry about him later, just get out of there, and get those workers to safety," Dominic said calmly, slipping his hood over his head, "We'll meet you at the rendezvous point established in the contingency plan."

At that, she ended the call and Dominic turned to Josh, "Get your game face on, man. We've got war on our hands."

* * *

January 1st, 2013

5:30 P.M.

Houston, Texas

Faith bit her lip as she paced around the barren room she had taken refuge in after reaching the abandoned factory that the Assassins used as a rendezvous spot. It was dark, musty, wet, and many other _negative_ words her mind could come up with. The walls, which used to be a solid grey, now was a tinge browner than it should be, and the _smell_, it was like being inside a sewer. The factory was so damned quiet that every little sound she heard would make her jump like a frightened mouse. After twenty minutes of waiting, Dominic and Joshua finally arrived, making sure the workers that she saved were okay before finally acknowledging her.

It was Dominic who spoke first, his calm baritone reverberating through the factory, "Any sign of Alex?"

"No, not yet," she replied softly, her voice starting to go hoarse from getting the workers out of the office and to safety, "Praying to God that he shows up."

Joshua patted her softly on the back before hugging her, "He'll show up," he added kindly before taking a seat at a round metal table Faith had managed to find in a back room. Dominic and Faith joined him a moment later, each sharing a moment of interminable silence that was as deafening as bombshells.

After what seemed like an eternity, the oldest boy finally broke the silence, "By tomorrow we must assume that Alex will not be joining us," his voice barely a whisper, whether it was for secrecy or simply grief, Faith didn't know, "I think..." He paused for a moment to think before continuing, "We need to continue with the plan."

"Dom, we don't even have our weapons, how do you possibly think we can storm into Templar Headquarters?" Josh argued before drawing circles on the table with his finger, "We're talking about trained guards or worse, not a stroll through a park."

That made the older Assassin frown and pull out a knife, laying it on the table, when neither of the other two moved or said anything, he added, "Why would we need weapons, when we have these?"

It was so obvious that Faith nearly slapped herself, "Of course!" she smiled, "What better weapon than the ones that have served you for centuries?"

"But against _armed_ guards? I don't think a hidden blade would really be much use," Josh replied, crossing his arms, "Unless you're a damn _god_."

"Or you're Faith," Dominic added, turning back to the only girl in the group, "Who can wield a blade like a professional."

Whoa. "You're kidding right?" She added, raising her hands in the air in protest, "There's no way I could take out armed guards with just a butter knife."

"You wouldn't need to," he added as if it was completely obvious, "Only one."

"And..." she looked down at the blade that sat on the cold table, and smiled once more, "And take his weapon!"

The smile that grew on Dominic's face gave her her answer, "They wouldn't even see it coming."

"Dom," she added before pretty much tackling him into a bear-hug, "You're a fucking genius!"

**Author's Quick Footnote: I know that Dustin didn't show up again in this chapter, but he'll be back, I promise xD Hope you enjoyed and I'll be trying to get out Chapter 6 as soon as I possibly can!**


	6. Status Update

**I'm sorry once again for taking so long for coming out with **_**anything**_** for this story, I've been busy with school recently and continue to fight writers' block. Both can be a pain, so it's hard to keep up an actual schedule on writing chapters and releasing them.**

**In story news though, I've decided that I need to rewrite the previous chapters (and probably the most recent one as well) to fix all kinds of mistakes. Grammar mistakes, plot being unfolded **_**too**_** quickly, and just sounding too much like a kid's spy movie than an Assassin's Creed story.**

**This time around, I'm putting my emphasis on setting up the plot properly, instead of making it happen right at the start. By doing this, chapters are probably going to end up a bit longer than more (rewritten and lengthened scenes, plus brand new scenes that I believe will be infinitely beneficial to the story) and fix some mistakes I made (including the death of Dominic's mother, it's simply too hard to believe, so it will be written differently, and she may even live instead of being killed.)**

**I'm not really satisfied at where it is right now, so I'm going to be spending time from now on rewriting and revising chapters 1-5 before I put up Chapter 6 (or even write it, since I'm changing things in the previous chapters.) I'm hoping to have chapter 1 rewritten sometime between now and the end of spring break (I'd say by the end of this weekend, but this weekend's priorities are for school-related things sadly, damn essays and research -_-)**

**If there's some things that you've noticed in the story that are too far-fetched or need serious fixing, just let me know through a review or a PM and we can discuss it privately. Some critical feedback will help me develop the story along and make it even better.**

**Speaking of reviews, I have to make a shoutout to Zakar, we discussed some potential fixes for some plotholes and issues within the first chapter in the story after his review. I appreciate the advice and hope that I can meet all of your expectations for the rewrites and the rest of the story.**

**Thanks for the support,**

**DonnieF**


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